Australia's Best Cars 2012

Australia's Best Cars is a comparative guide to more than 330 volume-selling models across some 15 popular categories, aimed squarely at informing the consumer.
Each October, the top three vehicles in each category – along with ‘fringe dwellers’ – are assembled at the purpose-built Australian Automotive Research Centre at Anglesea in Victoria. They are put through a week of final testing and evaluation by a panel of 12 judges representing all state auto clubs, including the RACQ.

Best People Mover - Hyundai iMax Diesel. Another win this year makes it five in a row for the Hyundai iMax. The iMax underscores what many consumers look for when the family grows and they need the capacity to haul eight people in relative comfort and, importantly, their luggage. For the full review and more visit - http://www.racq.com.au/bestcars

Best Sports Car under AUD80,000 - BMW 1 Series M135i. Four years of category domination by BMW in the form of the 135i Coupe ended this year, but only because it was replaced by the even more potent M135i hot hatch as BMW's volume seller in this segment. For the full review and more visit - http://www.racq.com.au/bestcars

Best Luxury SUV over AUD60,000 - Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDi. Last year's winner, the Volkswagen Touareg, has done it again and with a country mile between it and the rest of the field. The standout reason is value for dollar. For the full review and more visit - http://www.racq.com.au/bestcars

Best SUV over AUD40,000 - Hyundai Santa Fe Elite. Launched in September 2012, the new Santa Fe brought with it sharply styled bodywork (to match the design language of the rest of the Hyundai range) draped over the company's familiar and excellent 2.2-litre R Series engine. For the full review and more visit - http://www.racq.com.au/bestcars

Best SUV under AUD40,000 - Kia Sportage AWD SLi. The Kia Sportage is a solid, all-round package that is not only competitively priced, generously equipped and extremely competent, but also affordable to own and operate. For the full review and more visit - http://www.racq.com.au/bestcars

Best Sports Car over AUD80,000 - BMW M3 Coupe. The BMW M3 is a thoroughbred rear-wheel-drive, luxury sporting coupe. It brings race car-style technology to a road car, with an alloy bonnet and carbon fibre roof to lower the centre of gravity and help minimise weight, while an almost perfect 50/50 weight distribution front-to-rear provides superbly balanced handling. For the full review and more visit - http://www.racq.com.au/bestcars

Best Large Car under AUD60,000 - Lexus GS350 F Sport. In a prestige class largely dominated by European marques, premium Japanese brand Lexus has taken the win with its new GS350 F Sport. For the full review and more visit - http://www.racq.com.au/bestcars

Best Large Car under AUD60,000 - Ford Falcon EG Ecoboost G6. Traditionalists might cry 'what the!' at the thought of a four-cylinder Falcon being Australia's top large car, but the new Ecoboost is arguably the best mainstream Falcon ever built. For the full review and more visit - http://www.racq.com.au/bestcars

Best Medium Car over AUD50,000 - BMW 3 Series 320i Turbo. In a category where brand prestige is a serious buyer consideration, three of the big German names battled it out for top honours this year, with the newly released BMW 320i taking the winner's laurels. For the full review and more visit - http://www.racq.com.au/bestcars

Best Medium Car under AUD50,000 - Toyota Camry Hybrid H. A host of improvements has resulted in the second generation Toyota Camry Hybrid H being promoted to medium car winner in 2012. For the full review and more visit - http://www.racq.com.au/bestcars

Best Small Car over AUD35,000 - Ford Focus Titanium. Revised pricing for the LW MkII Ford Focus range, just prior to Australia's Best Cars test week in October, ensured the Titanium scored top marks for price and depreciation. For the full review and more visit - http://www.racq.com.au/bestcars

Best Small Car under AUD35,000 - Hyundai i30 Active. Hyundai's new generation, Korean-built i30 sedan is a significantly revised small car, with clear improvement in styling, cabin presentation, mechanical refinement, safety and practicality. For the full review and more visit - http://www.racq.com.au/bestcars

Best Light Car over AUD20,000 - VW Polo 66TDI Comfortline. It is now three wins in a row for the Volkswagen Polo 66TDI Comfortline, which this year dropped in price, making it an even more attractive buy. For the full review and more visit - http://www.racq.com.au/bestcars

Best Light Car under AUD20,000 - Kia Rio Si. The Kia Rio has grabbed a convincing win for the second year in a row in the entry-level segment of the market, where everyone wants a bargain. For the full review and more visit - http://www.racq.com.au/bestcars